Into the "Shark Tank" (By Madeleine M.)
High schoolers from across Austin with an interest in business attended Camp Enterprise, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Austin, for three days to learn about the many aspects of business from guest speakers, such as the founders of 1-800-Contacts (https://www.1800contacts.com/), and T3 as well as Austin Rotary Club members, and participate in real-world business collaboration and presentation.
Camp Enterprise is described on the Rotary Club’s website: “Camp Enterprise is a fabulous opportunity to practice team-building skills, collaborative problem solving, and to meet fellow students in Central Texas with the same interests. The goal of Camp Enterprise is to inspire students to become the next generation of successful business leaders and entrepreneurs for the City of Austin.”
We were placed in teams for the weekend, in order to prepare for the final project, which was to create a viable business plan that we would present in front of a panel of judges at the conclusion of the camp. There were 12 teams, each consisting of around 10-12 students, with about 130 students total.
Our product was a resource website with student reviews from different colleges that was major-specific (e.g., Texas A&M - BBA Management), in order to give personal insight as to what to expect from that school’s program, specifically. The goal was to minimize the frequent major switching and “5th year of college” that occurs in around 70% of those in Texas’s public colleges. After coming up with our idea, we assigned positions to better prepare our plan. As CEO, it was my responsibility to manage the group as a whole, and be well-versed on the concept of our website, especially since the idea we chose to present was my own. When it came time for presentation, we along with two other teams, made it past the initial round to the finals. We then presented in front of all the students and Rotary Club members.
Although another team took first place, several Rotary Club members said they would invest in our idea, and many students said they would definitely use our website in their college process. Overall, Camp Enterprise was a fun experience where I met great friends, learned a lot about teamwork, and had the opportunity to work towards a meaningful, real-world business goal.
Although another team took first place, several Rotary Club members said they would invest in our idea, and many students said they would definitely use our website in their college process. Overall, Camp Enterprise was a fun experience where I met great friends, learned a lot about teamwork, and had the opportunity to work towards a meaningful, real-world business goal.
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